Will We... Be... Alright?

18. Neo

I watched Markus with worried eyes as we walked back to our house. Markus still had his brother, Jake, clutched tightly to his chest. I had offered to carry his brother for him, but he denied my help insisting on keeping Jake close to him. Markus carefully climbed up the tree keeping one hand holding his brother up the entire time.

    "Is there a free room we can place him in?"

    "Yeah, we can put him in a bedroom close to Luke. They should get along well, and Luke can help look after him." Markus nodded his head and followed me through the house. Markus was silent the entire time. I opened up a bedroom door and Markus entered. I stayed in the doorway as I watched my mate. He carefully laid his brother on the bed after pulling the covers back. He then tucked Jake in and kissed him on top of his temple. Markus then walked towards me. He looked at his brother one last time before leaving the room. I followed Markus all the way to our bedroom. I closed the door after we both entered. I walked over to Markus and pulled him into me.

    "Are you okay?" Markus shook his head.

    "You want to talk about how you feel?" Markus just looked at me with tears in his eyes.

    "It's okay to cry Markus. I'm here to catch you." At my words, he let go and fell apart. I pulled him to me even tighter as he sobbed his heart out.

    "I miss them so much, Neo. It hurts. It hurts that I won't be able to see them again." I pet Markus's hair and rock him back and forth. I didn't want to say anything. I felt that it would be better for him to let it all out so that he could then move on. I picked Markus up and carried him bridal style over to our bed. I sat down and cradled his head against my shoulder as he continued crying out for his lost parents. He had my shirt clenched tightly in his grasp. After half an hour of crying his heart out, Markus passed out like his brother had. I continued holding onto him as he slept, studying his face.

    "Hey son, how's Markus holding up?" Dad asked after knocking on my door.

    "Asleep. Though he is very upset about what happened."

    "Yeah, understandable. At least he has his brother and us. Especially you to help him during his grief."

    "Yeah. Is Jake still out?"

    "Like a rock." I chuckled at that. I'm currently in pain at seeing my mate in pain. I wished I could help him more.

    "I'll leave you two alone. Goodnight."

    "Night" With that my dad left the room. I guess I could put him to bed. I carefully placed Markus on the bed then got him changed. I carefully pulled his clothing off before placing his pajamas on. His body looked so beautiful. It was also smooth and muscular. I need to put other thoughts in my head though. I don't need to get riled up from my unconscious mate. After I finished changing Markus, I then changed myself. I pulled the covers back and gently got Markus settled in. I then got in bed and pulled him close as I covered us up.

    I woke up the next morning to the sound of silence. I could hear the occasional chirp of birds outside though. I looked down to Markus to see him sleeping soundly. His eyes were slightly swollen from all his crying last night. His puffy cheeks were slightly tinted red. Small puffs of air escaped his slightly opened mouth. He seemed to be at peace in his slumber. It did make me happy to see him get some sort of peace, though I am concerned for when he wakes up.

    We should make him some breakfast for when he wakes up. It might help him a little bit. Nick suggested.

    That's a good idea. Should we make oatmeal with some fresh cut fruit?

    Yeah, and some toast with butter. With breakfast plans in mind, I went downstairs to make my mate a delicious meal. When I went to go into the kitchen, I stopped in my tracks when I saw Jake. I should go see how he's doing. Especially since he looks depressed.

    "Hey Jake. How are you feeling today?" I asked gently.

    "Oh. Hi Neo. I'm alive, I think. Alpha and Luna told me I was staying here from now on. I really miss my parents." Jake looked up at me with fresh tears starting to spring in his eyes.

    "I hope you enjoy it here, nonetheless. Besides, Markus lives here too. You both can talk to each other. Have you eaten breakfast yet?" I wanted to help lighten the mood and get his mind off his parents.

    "Yeah, Alpha Lake made me some pancakes and eggs."

    "Were they good?"

    "Delicious"

    "So, what are you doing alone in the dining room?"

    "Waiting for Luke or my brother to wake up. I don't really know what to do with myself."

    "I can turn the t.v. on for you, if you'd like."

    "Okay" I led him to the living room and turned on something he liked watching. After that I went to the kitchen to make food for Markus and I. I made plain oatmeal and topped it with freshly sliced oranges and strawberries. I placed the fruit in a pretty fashion making the food look good to eat. I made some toast and I cut them into some cute shapes. I made a few bunnies, kittens, and puppies out of the toast. I hope he likes it.

    I'm sure he will, Neo. Now let's go back upstairs to him.

    Of course, but after I check on Jake first.

    "Hey Jake, you doing okay?" I ask him, coming into the living room with Markus's food.

    "Yeah. Is Luke going to be getting up soon?"

    "He should be. If he's not up in the next ten minutes just go bang his door open and drag him out of bed. His room is the door directly across from yours."

    "Okay" Jake then put his attention back to the t.v. Satisfied that Jake is temporarily distracted, I head upstairs to my mate. Upon entering our room, I noticed that Markus was still sleeping peacefully. I was then at odds with myself. I wanted him to get as much rest as possible, but I also wanted to make sure he was fed. Thankfully I didn't have to choose, because a few moments later Markus popped his eyes open.

    "Hey beautiful, did you sleep well?" I asked him. Markus just looked at me and yawned before rubbing at his tired eyes. I walked over to him with his food. I sat down on the bed after placing the food on the bedside table next to him. Markus pushed himself in a sitting position and eyed the food curiously.

    "I made you breakfast. Hope you like it." I told him as I handed him his food. Markus looked at the food closer then broke out into a sob. I immediately pulled him into a hug unsure of how I upset him. I was about to go and apologize for upsetting him, but Markus beat me to it.

    "Thank you so much Neo. I love it. No one's ever done this for me before." He spoke through sobs. I admit that his words made me feel better. Though I'm still slightly sad I made him cry.

    "You're welcome, Markus. I'm glad you like it."

    "It's even better because it'll be like tasting you with each bite." That response made me realize that I smelled and tasted like oranges and strawberries to him. Oops, but I guess it does make it better. Markus eventually started eating his meal after calming down. He was still partially sniffling but ate nonetheless. It made me happy to see him eat. It's good that he's not letting yesterday's events pull him down. We spent the rest of our day in our own peaceful solitude with me distracting him from his pain as much as possible.